Which headphones?

Mr. Sharpe

I'm looking into some good cans with a $150 budget.

I'm using some nice Sony ear buds that sound fine but I've always felt they lack somewhere some how. I've gotten to where I'm tired of them falling out of my ears. I'd like a fairly nice pair of over the ear or very comfortable on ear phones that are noise cancelling.

There are some sony phones at wal mart that are $100 and some that are $50. And they've gotten some jbl's in also but all these are "extra bass" types and I'm looking more along the line of more neutral sound. Any suggestions are appreciated and I don't mind getting a used set.

txcoastal1

Sharpe #1 rule in headphones is comfortable

You can get all the sound reviews you want but if they don't fit your head
It's not going to be right

I have a couple magnolia centers close to me and that's where I tried on several sets of headphones to decide

Mr. Sharpe

I see, these jbl and Sony models are on display to try on, maybe I should just get them, they do sound good. I used to have a nice pair of studio monitor phones from Sony and sounded excellent but they were not comfortable at all.

It's sad the only place I can find something like this here is wal mart:( best buy doesn't have any headphones out to try like that anymore.

Nightfall

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Used-Philips-Fidelio-X2-Headphones-/332336657612?hash=item4d60cef4cc:g:u3kAAOSwwN5ZikOS&_trkparms=pageci%3Af1cf4259-84f7-11e7-873e-74dbd180319a%7Cparentrq%3Afb3c2ac915d0a867025e5a23fff49da1%7Ciid%3A1

Sorry for the mobile link.

cfrizz

I love my Sennheiser Momentums 1st gen. They are by far the most comfortable, well fitting headphones I have ever had. Especially since I wear glasses.

rooftop59

cfrizz wrote: »

I love my Sennheiser Momentums 1st gen. They are by far the most comfortable, well fitting headphones I have ever had. Especially since I wear glasses.

I will say that with a dude with a pretty average sized head and probably slightly below average sized ears, I found the momentum on-ears to be very unconfortable. Sounded wonderful; couldn't wear them for more than an hour. Obviously this is a VERY subjective area.

Oh, and they are not noise-canceling. I have LOTS of suggestions, but mine ar elike most of the ones so far, which are not only not noise-canceling, but they are open back. Read people! ;-)

Mr. Sharpe

DSkip wrote: »

The most comfortable headphones I've experienced are Sennheiser over ears. I love the 598 and am really looking forward to hearing the 6xx.

Those look like a dang couch! Very comfy looking.

Mr. Sharpe

DSkip wrote: »

Good catch. Didn't see the noise cancelling. I prefer IEM for noise cancelling as you normally don't need any active cancelling if you get a snug fit.

DSkip wrote: »

The most comfortable headphones I've experienced are Sennheiser over ears. I love the 598 and am really looking forward to hearing the 6xx.

Skip, how much should these phones cost?

afterburnt

I don't think you will find 598's for $150 new, if you do let me know I am there! 558's are frequently on sale for half that. Dabutcher is always posting them when they go on sale. I have them and really like them. I see that you too have a humongous melon like me and mine fit really nicely and sound good but they are open back. I also have 598s? They are almost identical, the pads are a little different but they are sealed and keep the ambient noise out pretty good.

Are you highly intelligent like I used to be, I had an IQ in the 130's?

agfrost

afterburnt wrote: »

I don't think you will find 598's for $150 new, if you do let me know I am there!

The 598C's (closed backs) were on sale for $99 last December. (Dabutcher notifying again!) I picked 'em up then; today's price at that link is $145...

Haven't followed pricing on the open-back 598's, though!

afterburnt

Yeah 598C is what I was thinking of (I have sustained massive amounts of self inflicted brain damage so I am not a smart man however, all of the voids in my skull enhances sound stage and imaging when listening with cans. So it wasn't a total waste). I got those too thanks to Dabutchers heads up. I think they were even less than $99 but what do I know?

Mr. Sharpe

$170
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06WRMZZ45/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504593339&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sennheiser+598&dpPl=1&dpID=41X8ZPjlKJL&ref=plSrch

Those are open back, there's a few dollars difference in the the closed back.

Ive seen the 558's so low I could get two sets. My head actually isn't that big but it's pretty big lol thanks for noticing hahahA

What are advantages of the open and closed back phones? I have no experience with open back ones.

rooftop59

Open back usually has a bigger sound stage with more open, airy presentation. Definitely (all other things being equal) the better critical listening cans.

Closed can also sound very good, but the main advantage is that the they do NOT leak sound like the open backs. If you are in an office environment where ur neighbor doesn't want to hear what your jamming to, closed back is the way to go.

I am currently rocking the philips fidelio L2 as I said, they are semi-open back so the k let leak a little bit but have a nice open presentation. Really good sound quality and they have been on sale a lot lately...

scubalab

I second what Paul @rooftop59 says about open vs. closed. I have an older pair of Sennheisers (can't remember the model) that are open back and sound fantastic. I also was fortunate enough to pick up the 598C's last Christmas on Amazon for $99. That said, @Dabutcher is always updating deals on the 558's and from everything I've read, they can be modded (by simply removing a piece of tape/foam inside) to be practically identical to the 598's. That may be a very inexpensive way to 'try' the Senn's and see if you like them. IIRC, the 558's occasionally go on sale at Best Buy for under $70.

The only NC headphones I have tried are the 'retired' Polk Audio Ultrafocus 8000's. I got them during a Friends & Family 50% off sale. I really like them - they are comfortable, sound pretty good, and do an OK job at NC. You can probably find them on the used market for under $100 now. Or new (and still within your budget) for under $130 here:

https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-ULTRA-FOCUS-8000/dp/B0080OHGZA

Mr. Sharpe

I may need the open backs bc I am a critical listener, although modding the 558 may be a good idea too.... I may eventually be owning a pair of each haha

rooftop59

The 558 are open back. The mod is very simple. If you want to get a good idea of the sound of open backs then give them a shot. Hard to beat considering the investment...

Mr. Sharpe

Ok so after much deliberation and shopping I’m now seeing other models like 559 and 569.... dang I may just try both hahaha

afterburnt

http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/181464/sennheiser-hd-6xx-back-on-sale-mass-drop-199-00#latest

Jaybeez

How much noise cancelling are you looking for? Plenty of over ears that isolate pretty well with good examples above.
As @DSkip mentions, a good set of IEMs with a snug fit isolate way better than most closed back cans I've used, including Senns, Sonys and Beyerdynamics.
The best "non-active" noise cancelling solutions I've found are Shure IEMs with memory foam tips, which seal very well. I'd suggest no lower than the 315s, which have removable cable function. Shure makes a lightning cable with built in DAC that you may want to migrate to at some point.
The most isolated over ears I've found are: https://www.gk-music.com/product/ultraphones/
These are customized phones, with Sony drivers mounted in Peltor Shooting headsets. Pretty ugly but highly sought after by drummers. I use mine for practice as mic my drums and can cut my 110Db smacking down to a comfortable 85Db and save my ears for my audio addiction.

Mr. Sharpe

They don’t have to be that quiet. The only time I use them is when everybody is asleep to watch movies or listen to cds

msg

Timely for this to come back up again. I've been getting a bit of headphone fevah.

I'd like to check out the ATH-M50x and ATH-M70x as well.

Also got on the $99 Senn 598cs deal, and like them in general, but they're not quite as comfortable as I'd like and the fit feels a little odd to me. The earpads seem a little stiff too.

Mr. Sharpe

Just by looking at them that comment seems impossible haha

msg

Yeah, the pads aren't quite as plush as other Senn headphones, and - I can't remember at the moment -but for the earcups to feel right, the headband either seems too forward or too far back, and one way feels like they're going to fall off. It's manageable and they sound good. They were a bit more crisp than I was used to and not quite as bassy coming off of Bose TP-1As, which I loved for a very long time.

That's a good deal Bruce posted above with the Massdrop Senn HD650s back on sale again. I think they're around $200 if you can manage it. The 650s seem to be a reference for many people.

Mr. Sharpe

I’m a little confused as to how to purchase those cans from that user with the mass drop deal, do I pm or post a comment?

msg

Yeah, I think you just leave a comment saying you'd like a set and they just show up!

You have to sign up to get a Massdrop account before you can do anything, and then "Join Drop" means "Take My Money"

afterburnt

@Mr. Sharpe

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

afterburnt

@msg Scott I have the ATH-M40x and they are less comfortable that any of the Senns that I have. I think the ATH-M50x may have bigger ear cups.

rooftop59

msg wrote: »

Yeah, I think you just leave a comment saying you'd like a set and they just show up!

You have to sign up to get a Massdrop account before you can do anything, and then "Join Drop" means "Take My Money"

We need a button that says “thanks for the great insight jackarse”!!!

msg

Hey Bruce, interesting. Yeah, I was reading that the 50x was a supposed to be a step up in comfort from the 50, but not sure where the 40x compares there.

The Senn 598cs I have aren't what I would call comfortable for extended sessions. I find the earpads a bit hard. They're not as plush as the HD650s I'm borrowing, but also not as head-visey either.

I'm going to spend a bit more time over on HeadFi to see if I can get some info on the 50x vs 70x. So far, I've read that the 70x build quality is better than the 50x, but the reviewer mentioned that the 70x is a true studio headphone designed for real work and not necessarily listening pleasure, citing that the 50x was more fun and laid back, essentially. I like the build design of the 70x, but I'd be reluctant to get something that was too analytical and thinner in the lows. Seems to offer better specs than the 50x, but numbahs is numbahs.

afterburnt wrote: »

@msg Scott I have the ATH-M40x and they are less comfortable that any of the Senns that I have. I think the ATH-M50x may have bigger ear cups.

Mr. Sharpe

Yeah I realized that after I read about it haha thanks.

afterburnt

@msg reading reviews convinced me to get the 40's instead of the 50's. I have no idea how the 50's sound but the 40's sound better that the ATH-MSR7 they just don't look as good. I only use em when I wear brown shoes.